Something old, something new

I spoke recently with a bride about her wedding day -- today, September 11. She said picking that date wasn't an easy decision but, practicality aside, it was time to make positive associations with 9/11.

Yes. We can continue to remember that awful day, while layering new memories. It's as inevitable as the growth of the babies born on 9/11/01 and subsequent anniversaries.

I helped deliver one such baby last year. Time marches on. These kids will first associate that day with cake and presents and warmth, and only later realize their birthday signifies horrible events for countless others.

You know what? They'll reconcile the two interpretations. Fitzgerald remarked that holding more than one perspective in one's mind was the mark of a first-rate intelligence. It also sounds like a good defense against the fundamentalist mindset.

And it's not just our concept of 9/11 that can change. Maybe this sick child will give us the world a new association for Abu Ghraib. She was brought to the infamous prison by her Iraqi parents, who had exhausted treatment options in their country, and turned to the US for help.

That they would do this is already a small wonder. But her health isn't secure yet. She's was born with cavernous hemangiomas, which usually enlarge before harmlessly involuting. But hers are already big enough to threaten her airway, and in she could die soon if she's not treated.